Good start of the year for car sales after three-year decline

The local automotive market witnessed an almost 25% growth in January compared with the same time of last year, reaching almost 5,500 vehicles, the statistics of the Association of Automotive Manufacturers and Importers (APIA) reveal. January is thus the first in three years when the sales of cars actually went up, though they were partly aided by the extension of the 2010 scrappage scheme through the end of last month.

"The January market was unusual, because we had the "Rabla" (junk car scrappage scheme) 2010. As far as we are concerned, sales of the total market were below initial estimates because there were unused vouchers left," said Fabrice Cambolive, sole manager of the Renault Nissan Romania, who is also commercial manager of Dacia. Cambolive explained that January was also a month of changes, given the introduction of the new pollution tax.
The highest growth out of the total market last month was registered by commercial utility vehicles, which went up by over 80%, while the car market only increased by 16% according to APIA.